{"id":910,"date":"2020-03-03T23:52:08","date_gmt":"2020-03-03T23:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.k9learning.com\/?p=910"},"modified":"2020-03-04T00:17:14","modified_gmt":"2020-03-04T00:17:14","slug":"a-dog-is-not-your-teddy-bear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.k9learning.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/03\/a-dog-is-not-your-teddy-bear\/","title":{"rendered":"A Dog Is Not Your Teddy Bear"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Not long ago, Bailey\nwas at his peak cuteness with his fur just long enough to have a bit of curl\nbut not too long to get matted. He looked like a little lamb that many people\nwant to run their fingers through his woolly coat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to his look,\nBailey often gets comments such as \u201cOhhhh, cute dog!\u201d, \u201cHe looks like a little\nlamb.\u201d or \u201cHe looks like a teddy bear!\u201d. Bailey\u2019s appearance draws people\u2019s\nattention but this is also his Kryptonite. He hates being stared at or touched\nby strangers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Mr. Lamb & Bailey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That day, as we were\nsniffing the good scents in the neighborhood, a person was walking pass us and\nmade a comment \u201cOh, he looks like a teddy bear!\u201d. Just to be polite, I replied\nwith \u201cThank you\u201d and was in a hurry to get Bailey moving while he stopped and\nsniffed the flower. Just as I expected but failed to prevent, the person\nstopped and reached her hand out to stroke Bailey\u2019s back. Bailey ignored her\nfor the most part but the hand was on his back for longer than he would\ntolerate so he growled at her. The person was surprised by his response and\nsaid \u201cOh, I guess he just realized he was harassed by a very nice person.\u201d I\ngave no comment at that moment, however, I was upset with the common\nexpectation that many people think a cute fluffy dog should accept stranger\u2019s\n\u201cfriendly touch\u201d without giving his consent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As much as we want to\nbe cuddly with a cute fluffy dog, it is not the polite way to interact with a\ndog you don\u2019t know. Any dog, cute or not, fluffy or not, does NOT need to\naccept a forced interaction from a stranger. A dog is not a teddy bear and\ndefinitely not YOUR teddy bear. When you extend your \u201cfriendly\u201d hand into a\ndog\u2019s space, you are actually invading his personal space. For a dog who has no\nrelationship with you, doesn\u2019t know you, that is simply a harassment that he\ncan\u2019t refuse. When he uses his voice or his teeth to show his discomfort, he\u2019s\nthen labeled as \u201caggressive\u201d or \u201cmean\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you see a cute\nlittle girl running around with her parent, will you go up and touch the little\ngirl without her consent? Will you ask the parent\u2019s permission before you\ninteract with the little girl? I am sure you\u2019d get the permission before you\nhave physical contact with the little girl. It is the same with dogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What should you do\nwhen you see a cute dog that you really want to cuddle and put your hands on?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, keep your hands\nin your pockets. <\/strong>Keep\nyour distance and admire that cuteness from distance with your eyes. Remember,\ndon\u2019t stare directly into the dog\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, ask the owner\nif it\u2019s OK to interact with the dog. <\/strong>Once you get the permission, you should follow the owner\u2019s\ninstruction on how to interact. If the owner didn\u2019t give you instruction, you\nshould use these non-threatening poses to invite the dog to you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n